Washing and centrifuging machine



1366- 1967 H. HERBERTZ ASHING AND CENTRIFUGING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 31, 1966 F/GIZ Aria/FIVE,

Dec. 12, 1967 HERBERTZ WASHING AND CENTRIFUGING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 31, 1966 INVENTOR. flf/A/Z #:2 55222 United States Patent 3,357,213 WASHING AND CENTRIFUGING MACHINE Heinz Herbertz, Aachen, Germany, assignor to H. Krantz, a firm Filed Oct. 31, 1966, Ser. No. 590,701 Claims priority, application Germany, Nov. 24, 1965, K 57,736 6 Claims. (Ci. 6$-2l0) The present invention relates to a washing and centrifug ing machine, and it particularly relates to a washing and centrifuging machine for use in commercial and industrial laundries.

Although the present invention will be particularly described in connection with Washing and centrifuging machines of the rotating drum type adapted to be charged from one end, it is apparent that it has broader application to other types of wet processing machinery.

In washing machines having rotating drums where the housing is swinga'ble in a vertical plane, it has not been found satisfactory to have it moved in respect to front and rear shafts supported by piston rods. In such a device the swinging movement is accomplished by extension of the front piston rods whereby the housing together with the drum swings around the rear shafts, While for unloading the housing swings with the drum around the front shafts with the extension of the rear piston rods.

With this construction, the fixed points of attachment of the piston rods to the housing make it necessary for the cylinders associated with the piston rods to be articulated to the base frame of the machine so that the piston rods will not be bent upon their outward movement since the projected distance apart of the connection points decreases with the increase in inclination of the axis of the drum. Furthermore, the pivot attachment of the cylinders, even Where they are utilized as part of the supporting structure of the housing, is quite disadvantageous.

It is necessary, for example, to restrict the supporting system and limit its movement so that stabilization may be effective. Where this is accomplished the cylinders must be so supported laterally that only a swinging movement of the cylinders toward each other could take place. However, even in such a case, it may frequently occur that after extension of the rear piston rods the front cylinder may accidentally tilt, with the result that the rear cylinders are elevated resulting in sudden stressing of the housing and the drum.

The object of the present invention is to so support the housing receiving the drum with the rotating drum type washing and centrifuging laundry machinery that a stable support will be achieved which does not interfere with the necessary movement for loading and unloading.

Still further objects and advantages will appear in the more detailed description set forth below, it being understood, however, that this more detailed description is given by way of illustration and explanation only and not by way of limitation, since various changes therein may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

In accomplishing the above objects according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cylindrical housing enclosing the rotating basket of the washing or centrifuging machine is supported upon laterally extending sleeves or tubes at the sides thereof, upon which slide collars or cylindrical elements connected to the piston rods of pneumatic or hydraulic cylinders.

In this manner it is possible to eliminate pivoted attachment of the hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders to the machine frame, and it is also possible to avoid stop mechanisms to limit the swinging motion of the cylinders and there is no likelihood of tipping or accidental displacement of the housing or drum therein.

, connection of By providing lateral parallel tubular supports extending the full length or depth of the housing or drum a more stable arrangement is obtained, particularly where the connecting rods of the hydraulic cylinders are pivotally connected to sliding sleeves on the lateral supports. The sliding sleeves will form a more stable support and they can more readily follow and adjust themselves to the rotary motion of the housing from loading to washing and laundering to dumping positions and reverse.

In the preferred form of the invention, the piston rods actuated by pneumatic or hydraulic cylinders will prevent sudden displacement of the housing and by providing clevis members it is possible to support the lateral extending rods on each side of the drum. Furthermore by supporting the pneumatic cylinders on resilient base members it is possible to obtain the necessary elastic support for the entire device and take up any imbalances in the machinery.

Although four-way supports are provided, it is possible to multiply or increase the number of supports depending on the weight of the mechanism.

Both the automatic adjustment of the sliding members on the lateral side members and the pneumatic cushioning effect of the cylinders will compensate for critical speeds of rotation and overcome any slight imbalances.

These pneumatic cylinders with their piston rods may actuate limit switches to control the operation of the drum and also efiEect application of a drum brake and feeding of compressed air to the cylinders.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as hereinafter more specifically described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein is shown an embodiment of the invention, but it is to be understood that changes, variations and modifications can be resorted to which fall within the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

In the drawings wherein like reference characters denote corresponding parts throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is a schematic side elevational view of the rotary drum type washing and centrifuging laundry machine with the drum in loading position.

FIG. 2 is a similar schematic side elevational view of the machine in washing position.

FIG. 3 is a schematic side elevationalview similar to FIG. 2 of the machine in centrifuging position.

FIG. 4 is a similar schematic side elevational view showing the mechanism in unloading position.

FIG. 5 is a detailed, diagrammatic cross sectional view upon the line 55 of FIG. 2 showing the manner of the clevis or yoke upper end portion of a piston rod acting upon the casing or housingf Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the housing A of the washing and centrifuging drum type mechanism is provided with a front wall 1, a rear wall 2, and a cylindrical shell 3 connecting the walls land 2. In the housing A there is rotatably supported a Washing and centrifuging drum 4 which is open at its left side 70.

When the cover 5 inthe front'wall 1 of the housing A is opened the material to be washed or the laundry may be loaded thereinto, as indicated by the arrow 71, from the hopper 72, which may be carried by the pulley 73 on the rail 74.

The drum 4 is driven for the Washing and centrifuging operations by means of an electric motor 6, mounted on the cylindrical shell 3 by the support structure 75.

The motor shaft 7 has the double bearings 76 and 77 and at its end it carries the pulley 8. The pulley 8 by a belt 9 drives a larger pulley 11 which is mounted on the main shaft 10.

The drum 4 is directly driven by the shaft 10 which is connected to the bottom of the drum at 78.

On both lateral sides of the drum housing 3 and connected to the frront and rear walls 1 and 2 are the tubular support members 12 which extend the full depth of the housing 3 and are positioned alongside of but spaced from the side walls of the cylindrical shell 3 so that there will be no interference with the sliding collars 13 and 14 respectively located adjacent to the front end B of the housing and the rear end C of the housing.

These slide pieces 13 and 14 serve as collars bearing upon and sliding upon the tubular members 12 and they normally will be in outermost position with the cylinder or housing as its axis in horizontal position as indicated in FIGS. 3 and 2.

The front axles or pivot mounts 15 and the rear axle or pivot mount 16 are mounted on the slide collars or sleeves 13 and 14. This connection is best shown in FIG. 5, which is a sectIon through the rear sliding collar 14.

The trunnion or pivot mount 16 will extend through the collar or sleeve 14 and at its outer end will be keyed or fixed in the fork-shaped ends or side arms 20 of the piston rod 21.

The forward yoke or clevis is connected to the piston rod 18. These piston rods respectively are guided in cylinders 19 and 22 and are actuated by means of the pistons 29 and 30 which are pneumatically or hydraulically driven in said cylinders 19 and 22.

The front and rear cylinders 19 and 22 respectively are provided with the rubber or resilient bottom supports 23 which are mounted on the floor or base plate 24 connected to the floor 79. Each of the cylinders 19 and 22 are provided with a limit switch 25 and 26 respectively, which have the actuating levers 80 with the contact elements 81. These contact elements 81 On the levers 80 are actuated by means of the limit switch cams 27 and 28 which are positioned upon the outside fork elements 17 and 20 at the upper ends of the piston rods 18 and 21.

These pistons 18 and 21 will be moved up and down by compressed air acting on the pistons 29 and 30 and will be limited in their motion by operation of the limit switch levers 80, due to contact between the cam 27 and the contact members 81. I-n operation, the rotating drum will be moved upwardly to charge position as indicated in FIG. 1 and then turned downwardly to discharge or unloading position as indicated in FIG. 2 by operation of the connecting rods 18 and 21 through the pistons 29 and 30.

Compressed air is the preferred actuating fluid in the cylinders 19 and 22 which are positioned in pairs on each side of the drum 3. As shown in FIG. 1, the cover is opened and the material to be washed or laundry is dumped into the rotating basket 4 from the charge member 72. The cover 5 will then be closed and the cylinder 19 is evacuated so that the forward pair of pistons 29 will move downwardly with the piston rods 18 until the cam 27 strikes the contact end 81 of the lever 80 actuating the limit switch 25. When this is accomplished, the drum will be in the position indicated in FIG. 2, which is the washing position.

When the washing is completed, under control of a time switch not shown, compressed air will be forced into cylinders 19 and 22 and the pistons 29 and 30 will be slightly raised to position shown in FIG. 3 which will elevate the levers 80 on the limit switches 25 and 26 and will cause a centrifuging operation which takes place in the position shown in FIG. 3.

When the centrifuging operation of FIG. 3 is completed the time switch will operate to feed fluid into the cylinder 22, elevating the pistons 30, while cylinders 19 are evacuated. This will cause the housing A to take the position shown in FIG. 4 with the front wall 1 facing downwardly.

When the cover 5 is open the laundry will fall out of the rotating basket which may be slowly rotated during this process.

For the next batch the operation is repeated.

It will be noted that the sleeves 14 and 13 may adjust their position on the tube or rod 12 to accommodate the varying positions of the housing A. It will also be noted that in FIG. 1 the sleeve 13 is moved slightly to the right while in FIG. 4 the sleeve 14 is moved slightly to the right.

What is claimed is:

1. In a Washing and centrifuging machine for laundry and textile articles of the type having a swinging cylindrical receptacle having a top side and a bottom side, a motor drive shaft axially mounted in said bottom side, a rotary drum positioned within said receptacle driven by said shaft, said drum having a closed bottom side connected to the shaft and a top side having a central filler and discharge opening, said top side of the receptacle also having a central opening to permit access to the central filler and discharge opening of the drum and to permit charging and discharging of the rotatable drum, said receptacle being held with its axis horizontal during washing and centrifuging, with its axis inclined upwardly through the top during charging and with its axis inclined downwardly through the top wall during discharge; the combination therewith of a mounting arrangement consisting of guides positioned alongside of and spaced outwardly from the receptacle, sliding members positioned on the top and bottom sides of the guides and connected to slide thereon in response to inclination of said recep' tacle, means including said sliding members for moving the receptacle to and from operating, charging and discharging positions in which its axis is respectively horizontal, inclined upwardly through the top side and downwardly through the top side.

2. The machine of claim 1, said last mentioned means consisting of pneumatic cylinders with connecting rods pivotally connected to said sliding members.

3. The machine of claim 1, said guides consisting of guide rods positioned alongside of said receptacle and parallel to the axis thereof and said sliding members consisting of sleeves sliding on said guides.

4. The machine of claim 1, said last mentioned means in cluding pneumatic cylinders and piston rods moving upwardly and downwardly, limit switches associated with each piston rod and means on said piston rods to actuate said limit switches.

5. The machine of claim 1, said last mentioned means consisting of pneumatic cylinders to actuate said sliding members and control the swing and movement of said receptacle and resilient supports for said pneumatic cylinders.

6. The machine of claim 1, said guides consisting of slide rods and said members consisting of sliding sleeves and giving universal connection.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS WILLIAM I. PRICE, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A WASHING AND CENTRIFUGING MACHINE FOR LAUNDRY AND TEXTILE ARTICLES OF THE TYPE HAVING A SWINGING CYLINDRICAL RECEPTACLE HAVING A TOP SIDE AND A BOTTOM SIDE, A MOTOR DRIVE SHAFT AXIALLY MOUNTED IN SAID BOTTOM SIDE, A ROTARY DRUM POSITIONED WITHIN SAID RECEPTACLE DRIVEN BY SAID SHAFT, SAID DRUM HAVING A CLOSED BOTTOM SIDE CONNECTED TO THE SHAFT AND A TOP SIDE HAVING A CENTRAL FILLER AND DISCHARGE OPENING, SAID TOP SIDE OF THE RECEPTACLE ALSO HAVING A CENTRAL OPENING TO PERMIT ACCESS TO THE CENTRAL FILLER AND DISCHARGE OPENING OF THE DRUM AND TO PERMIT CHARGING AND DISCHARGING OF THE ROTATABLE DRUM, SAID RECEPTACLE BEING HELD WITH ITS AXIS HORIZONTAL DURING WASHING AND CENTRIFUGING, WITH ITS AXIS INCLINED UPWARDLY THROUGH THE TOP DURING CHARGING AND WITH ITS AXIS IN- 